ANGT Belgrade: Players to watch

Feb 19, 2020 by David Hein, Euroleague.net Print
ANGT Belgrade: Players to watch

Eight teams from six countries will gather this weekend at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade seeking the fourth and final automatic berth for this season's ANGT Finals to be held in May at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Cologne, Germany. The participating clubs are among the top in their respective countries and collectively bring an elite group of promising talents to the international stage - in some cases for the first time. Get familiar with a top performer from each team in preparation for an exciting weekend of basketball in the Serbian capital.

Emmanouil Kontoudis, U18 Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

Kontoudis will be playing in his second ANGT after averaging 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists at the ANGT Munich. The 1.90-meter guard can play both guard positions well and is a very good ball-handler who can create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. Kontoudis has a high basketball IQ with excellent court vision and passing skills. He is also a strong and reliable on-ball defender.

Alen Malovcic, U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana

Malovcic is appearing in his second ANGT after collecting 9.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.3 steals last season in Belgrade. Last summer he guided Slovenia to third place at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2019 as he picked up 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 rebounds for the country’s first podium finish since 2002. The 1.99-meter small forward is playing this season in the Slovenian second division and collecting 15.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals. Malovcic is strong, good in one-on-one situations, a good defender and a great rebounder.

Nikola Manojlovic, U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade

Manojlovic will be playing his third ANGT season after he collected 4.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals at the ANGT Belgrade last year and then posted 6.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists at the ANGT Finals in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The 1.99-meter guard averaged 4.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals for Serbia at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2019. Manojlovic, who serves as the Zvezda captain, has a good motor and is strong. He is a good attacker of the basket and is good in transition. He is creative and able to make other players better. Manojlovic has a good three-point shot as well. He plays good defense, is smart and is always well-positioned. Manojlovic also has a good feel for rebounding - both offensively and defensively.

Mihailo Musikic - U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade - ANGT Final Four Vitoria-Gasteiz 2019 - JT18

Mihailo Musikic, U18 Mega Bemax Belgrade

Musikic will be playing in his second ANGT after he tallied 7.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals at the ANGT Belgrade last season and then had 5.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks at the ANGT Finals. The 2.11-meter center played for Serbia at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2018 and picked up 6.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 blocks. He is a very intelligent player, with great understanding and ability to read the game and is also a good passing and shooting big man.

Nikola Radovanovic, U18 Partizan NIS Belgrade

Radovanovic will be making his ANGT debut in Belgrade. The 2.04-meter forward appeared at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2019 and averaged 15.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals. Playing for Buducnost Bijeljina of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 2003-born player also competed at the U16 European Youth Basketball League in the 2018-19 season and posted 33.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Radovanovic is a great shooter, who is very explosive and fast in the open court. He has a high level of competitiveness, good athleticism, and great ability to read the game and make steals.

Harel Rinski, U18 Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv

Rinski will be appearing in the ANGT competition for the second time though he did not play in any of Maccabi’s four games at ANGT Munich and played 14 minutes in his only game at the ANGT Finals last season, collecting 1 assist and 1 steal. The 1.97-meter shooting guard has played three games in Israel’s top flight, picking up 1 rebound in 5 minutes. Rinski played at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2018 and averaged 11.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals. He has a very good shot from all ranges. Rinski is also a smart player who can play both guard positions.

Wojtek Tomaszewski, U18 Asseco Arka Gdynia

Tomaszewski will be playing his first ANGT since Arka is making its return to the competition for the first time since 2007-08. After playing at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2018, Division B, the 1.97-meter guard helped Poland to silver at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2019, Division B and a promotion to Division A by averaging 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds. Tomaszewski has played this season in Poland’s second division, where he has averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 10 minutes over eight games. His craftiness and IQ make him hard to guard. He is very dangerous at both ends of the court. Tomaszewski can guard multiple positions and loves to steal the ball. He is good at grabbing rebounds and speeding up his team in transition as a ball handler.

Yohan Traore - U18 CFBB Paris (photo Zalgiris) - JT18

Yohan Traore, U18 CFBB Paris of France

Traore will be playing in his second ANGT after averaging 4.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals in Kaunas last season. The 2003-born forward helped France take second place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2019 with 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals. The 2.03-meter forward is averaging 7.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.8 steals in the French NMI third division this season. Traore is an excellent slasher and attacker of the basket with a good ability to finish at the rim. He is also a good defensive player with solid ball-handling.